Voice of Democracy
Published by Kazakhstan 21st Century Foundation · Washington, D.C. · Sept. 24, 2003

THE NOOSE TIGHTENS -- A key figure in the Kazakhgate scandal was sentenced to 46 months in prison, and federal prosecutors are expecting him to help them nab bigger fish. Bryan Williams, 63, a former Mobil Oil executive, got the most lenient sentence possible. according to the AP, in exchange for giving prosecutors a "road map" to follow for their investigation into high level Kazakh corruption.Williams. One of the targets is reportedly Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev. Williams admitted that he did not report to his employer or the IRS $7 million in secret payments, including a kickback prosecutors said he got for helping Mobil buy into Kazakhstan's Tengiz oil field, according to Bloomberg News and the New York Times. Williams' lawyer said he got the $2 million for helping the Kazakh government build an oil pipeline unrelated to Tengiz. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/19/technology/19KAZA.html?tntemail0, http://www.ap.org

FEAR FACTOR -- If it's true -- and it is -- that the Kazakh maslihats (regional councils) are just rubber stamps for governors appointed by Nursultan Nazarbayev, why should the tough dictator care about the outcome of last weekend's regional elections? Answer: fear. Adam Albion of RFE/RL reports the government "made significant efforts to hamper candidates representing the opposition." Nazarbayev feared that even minor victories could give the opposition "a sense of momentum or even an appearance of legitimacy," Albion wrote. He also wanted to deny any opposition politicians the soapbox of a public office, however impotent it might be; he didn't want to risk any independent-minded upstart refusing to rubber-stamp his dictates, and he doesn't want any maslihat appointing a representative to the Senate who might try to think for himself and refuse to do as he is told. Turnout for last Saturday's local elections was light by Kazakh standards (56.4% of eligible voters). The Central Election Commission reported no major violations of election law, but there was no independent confirmation. http://www.rferl.org/bd/ka/

UNCLE NURSULTAN WANTS YOU -- Kazakhstan needs at least 5 million new workers -- a 33% increase in its present population -- to maintain the present rate of economic development, according to President Nazarbayev. That translates into an additional 250,000 additional foreign and domestic workers annually, starting in 2006, to achieve Nazarbayev's development strategy for the period until 2030, with the bulk going to the western energy producing regions. Nazarbayev's goal is 20 million people; the present population is estimated at 14.9 million; in the decade since independence the population has declined by just over 1 million. http://www.interfax-news.com/
A PARTY FOR DADDY'S LITTLE GIRL -- Here's one political party that shouldn't have any trouble winning government recognition. Even though the Kazakh dictator has pushed through new laws aimed at turning his country into a virtual one-party state, the smart money is betting he won't try to block the group known as Asar from registering as a political party. That's not because Asar, formed last May to provide help to underprivileged and youthful Kazakhs, is the beneficiary of a democratic change of heart by the man in charge. The answer is closer to home: The nascent party is the pet project of the dictator's daughter. Dariga Nazarbaeva already runs the official Kazakh television network and is probably the most influential media figure in a country where independent and opposition voices are routinely crushed. Now she wants her own party; Asar, which means "mutual assistance," already has branches in nearly all Kazakh provinces. Nazarbaeva has been promoting Asar on campuses around the country, telling students they should play a greater role in the country's political life. There is no indication that she warned them that if they do what she says and then criticize her father that his goons are very likely to beat them up, toss them in jail or worse. http://www.centrasia.ru/ , http://www.rferl.org/bd/ka/

For the full stories, see the web citations above or contact us at News@Kazakhstan21.org or see VOD Archives [http://iicas.org/english/enlibrary/libr_16_03_01kp.htm]. The Kazakhstan 21st Century Foundation promotes democracy and human rights in Kazakhstan through public affairs and educational programs in the United States and Europe. This material is distributed by Kazakhstan 21st Century Foundation.

To unsubscribe from this list, or change the email address where you receive messages, please go to http://v2.listbox.com/member/?listname=kaznewsletter@v2.listbox.com